8:30 a.m., 90 degrees . . .
 

We are anxiously waiting for summer to disappear!
Today at 8:30 a.m. it was only 90 degrees + high humidity.
Yeah, we know, we sort of skip winter here in Tucson; our summer starts end of May and runs into late September.
Usually the heat does not bother us much, but this year, after 31 years in the southwest, it sorta has sapped our strength/tolerance.
Did spend a great 3 months in northern Utah escaping Tucson's consecutive 100+ degree days. Managed to get in 1,400-some tandem miles in the cooler Cache Valley.
The snow was still on top of the mountains mid-July and even wearing arm warmers + a vest in mid-August.
When we left Utah we hit a cool 38 degrees in Wyoming and 4 days later a toasty 111 degrees in Nevada.
Soon our winter will arrive . . . a great tandeming season!
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Ok, what is the humidity?

Here in So. Fla, it's 80 -85 deg in the am, and 85 to 95% humidity. Thinking about the ride makes you sweat. I lived in Phoenix in the 70's and it was dam hot, but humid only on the golf course.

Fla never get's that hot, but we know humidity!

It's all relative, so they claim . . .
High humidty (a.m.) was 48%; later down to 13%.
Year-to-date rainfall: 5.13 inches.
!00 or + degree days: 70 (so far).
Have spent a few vacations in Florida . . . camped in the Everglades with humidity so high rain drops were falling on our heads inside our camper.
Worst humidity/heat combo we've tandemed was a century in Maryland with 98 degrees and 98% humidity. Sweat was beading on forearms before the ride even got started.
Ended up taking a 20 mile shortcut as stoker Kay's face was beet-red + she got chills; near heatstroke.
However, when we lived in Michigan, back in the early 70s, we rode in winter if roads were dry and it was at least 20 degrees (above zero).
Being older (and maybe a bit wiser) we moved to Arizona so we could cycle year 'round;
have not regretted the move. But since retirement have found some place to go for part of the summer . . . north!
We do sometimes have to use our sunshine shovel to get to our mailbox . . .
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Relative indeed. Like the Beijing Olympic contenders, you need to train in the environment.

For the 30 days prior to 9/12/09.

Ave Day time temp. 89 deg.
Ave Humidity - 90%
Total Rain fall for the period - 5.6"
Days above 100 deg - 0. It seldom goes above 95 ever.

Yes you sweat contemplating a ride. Our Lambo has 6 bottle cages, 4 on the frame and 2 on the seat post. Wearing good bike clothing is the key. Tight wicking clothing really cools you at 20 mph. Stop in the shade when possible at stop signs.

I was in Phoenix in '72. I remember jumping in the pool, and getting out in 105 deg weather and being freezing cold until I toweled off. Then the hat blast began.

Anyway, be it Fla or Az, we enjoy 365 biking in great weather. It's all relative, according to some wise sage.

Ha Ha Maybe you could send us some of your heat. Here in Southwest Ohio it has been pretty cool (47 at 8am this morning, 54 yesterday at 8:30 for the start of the Saturday ride). Of course by 11 Am its's pretty nice.

This has been one of the best summers ever for riding. Of course we will have winter....

Frank and Terry

Did lotsa tandem riding in Ohio back in the mid-1970s.
Great place to ride with good farm roads and minimal traffic.
Recalll riding Toledo to Cleveland and back (200-mile 2-day ride), TOSRV 1975, Maumee Valley Century, HHH ride in Findlay, TASSLE (Tour along Southern Shore of Lake Erie), Trotwood Covered Bridge Tour, Red Flannel Metric Century, among others.
While winter can be a bit unpleasant back in the Midwest, here in the Southwest, we love it.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

That pretty much describes it Zona. We retreat indoors for the most part in the winter, with 2-3 days outside per month. It makes us appreciate Summer. You HAVE to ride TOSRV if you live in Ohio. While I consider it the worst ride of the year, I've ridden it 15+ times, unfortunately never on the tandem(it's a little hard core for the stoker). The weather can be pretty awful on Mother's day, but it forces you to do early season training even though Spring weather in Ohio can be trying. I went to high school in Phoenix and my son graduated from ASU. I DID ride there a few times in the summer over the last few years, getting up at 4:30 to beat the heat.

BTW TOSRV has changed quite a bit from when you rode it. The rider limit is now 3000 instead of 6000, so you don't get the big pace lines as much, which can make the ride from Chillicothe to Columbus a little lonely at times.

Frank

I'll take the Phoenix heat over back-east humidity any day. My wife...not so much. We end up riding at night on the Tandem. I ride the single during the day. Hottest ride for me was 116 and 30 miles. Zapped the energy right out of me. Looking forward to winter when my wife will join me on the tandem more!

I really have to laugh at this. Where should I start? How about 2 months of 70 deg days with humidity in the 50% range (our biggest problem this summer was that it was often too cold to start early in the morning)? Or hundreds of miles of traffic free rural roads (we can ride into Indiana or Michigan without any significant traffic. Or just being able to ride in the daytime? I'm not trying to rag on Phoenix ( I went to high school there) and the East coast (not to be confused with the midwest) is a little more humid. Still, I learned to ride in Philadelphia and I have very good memories of the summer riding there. I'm confidant that if I lived in Phoenix I would find a way to ride, but I doubt that I would ride my usual 7000-8000 miles. Having ridden in just about every state, I can say that there is a tremendous variety of riding out there and much to be recommended for each.

Frank and Terry

In the context of this thread, I thought TOSRV might be an acronym for a stoic riding philosophy, sort of like HTFU. No, not according to Google. It is The Tour Of the Scioto River Valley which sounds like a neat bike ride.

http://www.tosrv.org/00/images/09image2.jpg

We had the opposite problem here in CT. 8:30am and 42 degrees F. A chilly start, but it warmed up to about 72 in the afternoon.

Ooh! That's chilly. We started at 49 a week ago, finishing up at 75. 42 is getting into the territory of uncomfortable.

Did our 'one and only' TOSRV back in 1975 (the year of the backwards patch), on our Follis tandem with our then 14-year-old son. Managed a 19 1/2 mph average that included a half dozen broken spokes (yes, had spares as the Follis was noted for eating spokes). It was one of the very few years that it did NOT rain on Mother's Day weekend. Great event!
Back here in sunny/warm Tucson (when we were still gainbfuly employed) we used to be riding weekdays at daybreak (with a light) in the summer. After getting home, would then jump on single bike and pedal off to work.
Longer rides during summer we'd be done about 9:30 a.m., hit the pool and take nap.
Now being retired (14 years already) we pack up, including tandem and single racing bike, stuff it all in our Honda Accord station wagon and head somehwere north for 3 months.
Ahhh, age has its benefits!

I agree, being retired is nice. We pack up the van and head out a couple of times a year either West or South. Not sure what we are doing this year, but we need to get out of here in March or April when cabin fever is at its height. Most of the rest of the time we just head out from the house as we live in a very rural area of Ohio.

At my 40th high school reunion in Phoenix I borrowed my sons De Rosa to get some rides in. I got up at 4:30 and left as soon as it was light enough. I remember riding through a reservation and being chased by dogs. They were pretty fast.

My personal record on TOSRV is 22 mph in a year when there were tailwinds both ways. I was passed by a tandem while I was going around 27, so god knows what they were doing, but the left me in the dust.

Frank and Terry

The Autumnal Equinox is now behind us! Very soon the neighbors across the street will return from Long Island. The temps are dropping and the humidity is slowly subsiding. Riding in the AM is very pleasant, but if you have to stop in the sun, it's still a bit sweltering. In a few months the AM rides will be chilly, and a few months after that it will be "cold" Can't wait.

But as soon as it arrives, I'll be longing for the days when I'm embraced by that warm and comforting heat and humidity. It's like walking into your mama's arms.